Easter
Parade, the Irving Berlin M-G-M musical starring Judy Garland
and Fred Astaire, opened in Detroit on Friday, July 16, 1948, at the Adams.
It had earlier premiered in New York City on June 30, 1948.

"In
1946 Fred Astaire announced that he would do his last movie dancing chore
in 'Blue
Skies,' and his screen retirement became an accepted fact," wrote
John Finlayson in The Detroit News on July 16, 1948. "But here
in 'Easter
Parade,' a sprightly, well dressed, fast-moving musical, the top man
of the tappers comes back with a bounce and, one is tempted to say, as
agile and versatile as ever. But one cautiously recognizes that Fred is
on the threshold of his 50's."

"Americans
are fond of exclaiming that 'There ought to be a law,' " wrote Helen Bower
in the Detroit Free Press on July 16, 1948. "There OUGHT to be
a law against so much as another whisper of retirement by Fred Astaire.
Two years ago he decided to retire from stage and screen. If he'd stuck
to that awful decision we wouldn't have 'Easter
Parade' in Technicolor at the Adams Theater, with Judy Garland co-starred
as his dancing partner."

Also
that day, the Redford opened at 5:45 p.m. for a double bill of A
Double Life (Ronald Colman in an Oscar-winning performance) and
Hazard
(Paulette Goddard). Two months later, the Redford screened the re-release
of Gone
with the Wind on September 26-28, 1948.

Easter
Parade played at the Adams for two months, until September 16.
It later played at the Redford on December 1-4, 1948, along with Shaggy
(Brenda Joyce, Robert Shayne).

Ann
Arbor audiences were treated to the opening of Easter
Parade at their Michigan theater on Sunday, August 22, 1948. It
played for one week, along with the Walt Disney cartoon Pluto's
Purchase and Paramount World Action News.

Also
playing in Ann Arbor at this time was a re-release of Duel
in the Sun (Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten) at the
State ("First Time at Regular Prices!"); Bells
of Capistrano (Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette) and Stork
Bites Man (Jackie Cooper) at the Whitney; and Three
Daring Daughters (Jeannette McDonald, Jose Iturbi, Jane Powell)
at the Wuerth. At the Ypsi-Ann Drive-In Theatre, families enjoyed cartoons
starring Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, and Popeye.

Click
here to see a PDF of newspaper
images relating to the opening of Easter Parade.